


Flos Submersi

by mechanicalSavior



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Death, F/M, Flowers, Hanahaki Disease, How Do I Tag, Multi, Okay Ending, Poor Prompto, Reader-Insert, Sad Ending, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Sorry Not Sorry, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, you die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 18:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12326238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mechanicalSavior/pseuds/mechanicalSavior
Summary: The Hanahaki Disease is an illness born from one-sided love, where the patient throws up and coughs of flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. The infection can be removed through surgery, but the feelings disappear along with the petals. It can be cured without side effects only when the feelings are returned.You woke up to violet-blue iris petals on your hotel pillow two weeks ago.





	Flos Submersi

Iris.

Royalty and faith.

Wisdom, hope, valor.

Those are the flower petals to come up.

You stare blankly at the small pile at your feet, hiding behind the tent with the excuse that you were too hot to stand in the open. A stupid excuse, but an excuse the boys seemed to buy. You cough, expelling more blue iris petals onto the ground. There was only you, thankfully, the others unloading the camping gear from the Regalia. You cough again, trying to regain the breathe you seemed to lose.

The small pile grows larger, and you laugh. You laugh pathetically, grinning through the pain and silky petals falling from your pale lips.

This was worse than two weeks ago, when you first discovered your illness. Thankfully, you were in the hotel room alone at the time. You knew immediately what was happening, and why it was happening. 

 

The Hanahaki Disease is an illness born from one-sided love, where the patient throws up and coughs of flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. The infection can be removed through surgery, but the feelings disappear along with the petals. It can be cured without side effects only when the feelings are returned.

You woke up to violet-blue iris petals on your hotel pillow two weeks ago. 

Your eyes were staring wide at the petals, soft to look at and resting in a small pile of drool. You bring a shaking hand to your mouth, not wanting to believe what your eyes were seeing. You were still, for a moment. Then, you panicked.

You were never more glad for the boys to be out getting breakfast instead of Ignis cooking. You roll from the offending pieces of velvet, spit drying on your chin. You shake harder, and choke back a sob. This was your punishment for loving him, for loving a promised for man. This was your doom placed upon you by the Six, for trying to go against the prophecy.

You grab the petals drying on the pillow, holding back the urge to throw up. You rush to the bathroom, locking the door and turning on the light, staring at the beautiful iris petals in your palm. A pain in your chest makes you flinch, and suddenly you can’t breathe. A sickness rises in your throat, and you stumble to your knees in front of the porcelain bowl.

A stream of velvet purple and blue escapes your mouth as you regurgitate, tears coming to your eyes. You stay like that for the better part of the next ten minutes, sobbing and heaving into the toilet. Finally, your body seems to have enough, and you no longer feel the urge to gag out your insides. 

You rest your forehead on the rim, starring at the petals floating in the water. It was overwhelming, now that you could think a little clearer, to be killed by something so beautiful. You should have seen it coming, you hopelessly crushing on the prince since high school; it was something at least ninety percent of the population of Eos has had, or will have, very few being immune. 

Now the question remained if you were selfish enough to refuse the treatment. Were you really willing to die for a boy who was betrothed to another, regardless of recent events? Not to mention, you could clearly tell how much he loved Lunafreya. 

You had no hope, yet you knew you wouldn’t put a hole in your heart willingly. At the thought of your hopeless love, another wave of petals came up. You retch into the bowl, coughing any excess away. A knock brings your attention from your gagging to the locked door. Someone was trying to get in. You tense, hoping it wasn’t Noctis.

“(Y/n)? Are you alright in there?” It was Ignis, concern laced in his voice. You could hear whispers of the others, and you knew you had to pull yourself together.

“I-I’m fine Iggy. I must have eaten something bad is all!” There’s silence, and you take the moment to pick up any stray petals and flush them down the drain. You check the bathroom mirror, and by the Six, you look horrible.

Your (h/c) hair was in disarray, (e/c) eyes unseeing and red-rimmed. Your face was pale, drained of your usual color, and you were shaking. You run the sink water, wetting your hands to try to tame the beast called your hair and rinse out any sweet taste still in your mouth. The door clicks, and swings open; you turn on your heels to see Ignis walk in with an unapologetic look in his eyes, and you twist the faucet off. 

“You look dreadful, (Y/n). Go lay down, we’ll leave when you feel less… sick.” Ignis states finally, after scrutinizing you with his piercing green gaze. You give a silent nod and a shaky smile. You wobble past, into the shared hotel room. Noctis is on one of the two queen beds, Prompto beside him. Gladio rests on your usual sleeping spot, the couch. You opt to turn for the other bed at that sight. The males stare you down as you crawl into the bed, curling in on yourself. Prompto hops off the other bed, leaving his best friend to talk with you.

“Hey… You okay?” You don’t bother trying to smile and just nod, grabbing a pillow to curl up with. He gives you a sad smile, pity evident in his eyes. You scowl.

“Hey man, no pity. It’s jus’ a little stomach virus. I’ll be fine soon enough. After all, we gotta appease the Six for his lazy Sloth Lord over there. Prompto bursts out in laughter with Gladio, Ignis shaking his head and Noctis exclaiming loudly in false anger. Prompto sits beside you, you moving back slightly to make room. Noctis follows over,a mock pout on his face.

“Who are you calling sloth, drag queen?” You throw a pillow at his face in mock anger, bursting into laughter with the others soon after.

You miss that.

Now, you were too weak to laugh. You had to avoid him, to keep up with the others. You were sure the others noticed, but no one said a word. The flower you felt inside of you tightened its roots at the memory of Noctis’ beautiful laugh, his indigo blue eyes lighting up with happiness. You cough out a few more petals, then proceed to kick them off behind the Haven, wiping your mouth for any stray petals. 

“(Y/n)...?” You turn quickly to face Prompto, his cornflower blue eyes wide with shock. You curse and drag him behind the tent, kicking the remaining petals off the rock. You stare Prompto in the eye.

“Don’t tell _anyone_ , Prom. You can’t. It’ll just make everyone worried,” you state firmly. To your surprise, he glares right back and shakes himself free.

“How can I not tell them?! How long have you had this…? Who is it even? (Y/n), this doesn’t make any sense! We need to tell them- Maybe we can stop by Lestallum and get it remove-”

“No!” You shout this out, flinching back at the idea. You weren’t going to get rid of something like this, you couldn’t! You couldn’t bear the _idea_ of removing a feeling as precious as this, no matter how it was killing you. You cross your arms protectively over yourself, glaring at Prompto. He looks hurt, like a kicked puppy.

“Why?! Why would you let yourself _die_ like this?? I don’t understand, (Y/n)! Please…” You turn your nastiest glare onto the sunshine boy, backing away from the back side of the tent. You felt the familiar tickle in the back of your throat, and instead let the petals flow from your mouth with no restraint as you spoke.

“I’d rather die than give up a once in a life-time feeling, Prompto. You have no idea how a person changes once they remove something like this, once they get rid of those memories of a happiness like this. You just don’t know…” Your mind flashes to your cousin who lived in Lestallum, one who removed her Hanahaki flower, a beautiful blooming lily that shriveled up and died as soon as it was removed. She was never the same, unable to feel a love like that ever again. She was a shell of herself. You blink away tears, keeping a focused glare on Prompto.

He looks at you, horrified at the sight of iris petals flowing freely from your mouth, piling up on the ground around you. You ignore them, wiping tears away and coughing up more petals. It was getting difficult to breath around the crying and petals. Then there’s a clang, and both of your eyes are drawn to the noise.

(E/c) met startled blue.

“W-what… (Y/n)?” Noctis whispers. You fly a hand to your mouth, as if to stop the flow of velvet petals and the violent coughing. He reaches a single pale hand out as if to help you, and you stumble back, eyes glittered with tears. You hear Gladio and Ignis cry out in horror as well, and suddenly you can’t feel anything.

You’re on your hands and knees, heaving out loads of flower petals, a rain of violet and blue. Hands pat your back and brush your (h/c) hair out of your face. You don’t know how long time passes before you finally stop. You wipe the tears from your face and sit back. Someone was holding you, humming softly as you tried to calm yourself.

“Better?” It was Noctis. You lay your head weakly on his shoulder and nod. Your eyes trail over the camp, Ignis cooking and Prompto looking through his camera. Gladio was polishing his sword, not letting his eyes stray towards you. You look around, and notice the pile of petals strewn all over the camp. You can’t be bothered to care anymore. 

“Sorry…” you whisper, voice hoarse. He runs a hand through your hair, shaking his head slightly. He takes a deep breath.

“Who is it?” You tense up, and so does he. The other three are watching now, and you know you weren't getting away from this easily. You let yourself go lose; what was the point. They would make you get the flower removed because _he loved **her**_.

“A silly Sloth Lord I had sworn to protect.” He stays silent and you move away, wobbling to your feet to get away. You stumble into the tent, curling up in your corner, coughing up a few petals. It was over; you’d get the flower remove. You didn’t even need Ignis, the groups ‘mother’ to tell you that fact. You chuckle weakly and curl up tighter, ignoring the zipper of the tent flap. 

“(Y/n)...” Prompto sounds sad, regretful. You don’t answer, trying to shut out the world. He crouches next to you and sighs. “We’re going to Lestallum to remove it tomorrow.” Then, he’s gone out the tent. You only cough, trailing into an uneasy sleep.

 

“The process should be simple and quick, and she’ll only have to stay for twenty four hours to make sure she’s stable. We’ll be taking an x-ray of the flower to see how far along in about an hour as well” The doctor was too happy for you in this dreary white room. You stare out the window stubbornly, letting nurses insert needles into your pale skin. You felt like a flower yourself, wilting every moment. You cough, and iris petals float on to the white sheets on your legs. You refuse to make eye contact with any of the males.

“Thank you. May we stay until then?” Ignis, polite as ever, questions the doctor. You tune out the conversation, staring at the gathering rain clouds. You cough, and relish in the pain of your love, no matter how sappy it sounded. You just wanted to feel what you could before it was taken away, as if to preserve the memory of this feeling, imprint it on your heart forever. You knew you’d forget this soon enough. A hand shakes you out of your reverie, and you look at spectacled green eyes,.

“Are you alright, (Y/n)?” You sneer at the question and yank your hand away, coughing slightly. The flow of petals was increasing. He keeps contact with your cold (e/c) eyes, a strong resolve. You tune out the impending rant, turning your head back out the window. He must have taken a hint, because he stopped quickly. There was blissful silence until the x-rays, and you complied, quiet and defeated.

During the x-rays, you cough, and someone gasps. You’re rushed back to your room in a flurry of lab coats, and someone is speaking to Gladio quickly since Ignis was not there.

“We have to move her to surgery; the flower is farther along than we thought. She has a very slim chance of surviving, and we’re quite frankly surprised she’s lived this long,” the doctor speaks, eyes darting between you and the door. Now you understood, but then again, you didn’t care.

“Can we have a few minutes?” Noctis speaks up, silent until now. You turn your head to look at him, finding him looking lost, confused and scared. Your heart clenches and you swear you could feel the roots of the iris squeeze your throat. The doctor hesitates, then nods.

“Ten minutes.” Then he’s gone. Everyone’s quiet, then Prompto latches himself to your side, crying quietly.

“Promise you’ll come back. _Please_ ,” he says into your shoulder. You don’t say a word, barely bringing arms to wrap around the sunshine chocobo boy. He squeezes you tighter for a while longer, then lets go. Gladio stares you down, ignoring as Ignis comes back into the room. He blames you for being weak, for not getting over it, for not telling. You can tell he’s trying to not break down as well. Ignis catches on to the situation quickly, and merely states for you to come back. The three share a nod and leave you and Noctis.

“I’m so sorry…” He’s crying, standing by your bed side. Iris petals hang on your lower lip, and you take shuddering breaths, feeling the roots tighten. You say nothing, only smiling weakly. You finally feel the effects of having the flower in you, feeling weaker than before. The doctor comes in not too soon after, and you’re wheeled into surgery.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You’re placed under. The flower doesn’t fight back, as if your own heart has lost hope for the love you’d grown. 

Something goes wrong, a wrong cut, your body too weak to fight for its life maybe.

You bleed out on the operation table. There’s a rush as paramedics call emergency; you’ve lost a lot of blood. It looks like a murder scene, a beautiful blooming iris covered in red in the midst of it all.

An hour later, the doctor walks over with a sour face, and apologizes to the people who cared.

Noctis stares into his hand, not responding as Prompto cries out in anguish, and The other two cry silently. He stares at oleander petals bitterly, smiling and letting a tear fall onto them. He stuffs them into his pocket, and says nothing.

Hanahaki, a tragically beautiful disease.

**Alt Ending**

You wake up, gasping for air. Faces swarm your vision, Noctis’ the most prominent. You stare at his dark blue eyes, and feel nothing. You know you loved him, know he’s your _best friend_ , but you could care less for him. He gives a shaky smile and a sob as you stare blankly. Gladio drags him back, patting his back.

“Glad to see you pulled through. They said you nearly bled out on the operation table. How’re you feeling?” Prompto speaks up from your left side, giving a small smile. He coughs, and you see a glimpse of a petal. He discreetly wipes his hand on his jeans. 

“I feel _nothing _, if I’m honest. I can’t fully understand why Noctis is still here; I know he’s my best friend, but… I dunno.” You shrug indifferently, feeling a slight pain from Noctis letting out a strangled and morbid laugh. Ignis sits up straighter, placing a hand on your calf. He begins speaking.__

__“You just had all feelings removed of him, it will take time to rebuild what you guys had… but the most important thing is you are _alive_.” You felt alive sure, but the hole in your chest hurt worse. You force a smile and nod. Everyone talks for a while longer, asking if you would continue on their journey. You naturally agree, and soon the doctor comes by to tell everyone visiting hours were over._ _

__“Can one of us stay the night?” The doctor stares at Prompto, before huffing slightly, amusement and pity dancing in his old eyes._ _

__“Usually, only family can, but I’ll let you since you seem to really want to.” Prompto shoots him a grateful smile and the room is suddenly quiet. He grabs your hand and you meet his corn flower eyes. You speak before he can._ _

__“I want to try to…” You clear your throat, keeping steady eye contact. “Try to learn to love again.” He looks surprised, and coughs loudly, not bothering to hide the white oleander petals from you. You give him a strained smile._ _

__“You don’t have to force yourself, (Y/n).” You laugh at his selflessness. How did you come to know someone so amazing? Your heart felt lighter._ _

__“I want to learn Prompto. Plus, what kind of person would I be to let my best friend feel what I’m feeling? Be selfish for once. I just… need a little time.” He chokes back a cry and smiles, coughing. Less petals fall. The two of you chat quietly into the night, falling asleep early morning._ _

__Months later, you smile as you jump in front of a sword heading for Prompto’s back, deflecting it with your own weapon. Years later, you stand side by side with your friends, ready to defend Noctis and die doing so to bring back the light._ _

__You’re glad the iris is gone, and you’re glad to have learned to love again._ _

__Even if it ment dying for him._ _

__\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__“(Y/n)...?” He holds onto your body, shaking it gently. You remain unresponsive, a faint smile on your lips. Your body goes cold, as does his heart. He smiles, tears falling onto your cheeks. He lost his love and best friend, the same night. Cornflower blue eyes look up at the cloudless sky, watching the sun rise. He holds you close, ignoring the blood still pooling from the wound in your chest. Gladio pats his shoulder, tiredly leaning on his great sword. Ignis sighs, eyes staring into the unknown without really seeing._ _

__Prompto sniffles and wipes away his tears. They would live for them. He swears he could feel your hands on his cheeks and a whisper of a good bye as he lays your body to rest on the cold steps, leaving it behind to help his friends to heal their wounds._ _

__Yes. He’d make sure to live for you._ _

**Author's Note:**

> I mean, the hanahaki disease is beautifully tragic, and i love it. It brings out the angst in me.


End file.
